Cliff "Method Man" Smith is heading to the big screen. The rapper-turned-actor joins the cast of New Line Cinema's Shaft.
The upcoming remake of the 1971 detective movie brings back Samuel L. Jackson as the titular John Shaft II, a New York Police Department detective who was called to investigate a murder that might be race-motivated. He appeared in the 2000 update of the franchise directed by John Singleton and also featured Christian Bale.
The original Shaft had two follow-ups: Shaft's Big Score in 1972 and Shaft in Africa in 1973. Jackson's early 2000s revival was the beginning of a new chapter.
The planned revival is set to introduce Jessie T. Usher, the still unnamed son of Jackson's character, Shaft. According to the character description, an important case will force Usher's character into teaming up and working with his estranged father.
Meanwhile, Smith will play the role of an old friend to detective John Shaft II. IMDB lists his character's name as Freddie P. Not much is known about his participation in the upcoming movie.
Regina Hall, Alexandra Shipp, Richard Roundtree are part of the cast. Son of Shaft will be directed by Tim Story (Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer), written by Kenya Barris and Alex Barnow, produced by John Davis and Barris, and executive produced by Marc Fischer and Ira Napoliello. The movie is set to be released on June 14, 2019.
Method Man, The Actor
Son of Shaft is not Smith's first acting gig. While he has made a name for himself as a rapper and hip-hop artist, the multi-talented star has been raking in experiences as an actor.
Method Man already appeared in several television series such as the police dramas Blue Bloods and Rebel. Most notably, he starred alongside Golden Globes winner James Franco in the HBO series The Deuce.
The upcoming year will also be incredibly busy for the rapper-turned-actor. Smith is also signed up to appear in three more movies including The Return of the Killer Klowns From Outer Space in 3D.
He will next reunite with Franco in Future World, a movie about a young boy who goes on an adventure in a dystopian world in a quest to find a cure for his ailing mother. Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil: The Final Chapter) and Suki Waterhouse (The White Princess) will also star in the sci-fi movie.
In addition, Smith is the host of the rap battle competition called Drop the Mic on TBS.
